October 22, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report.
Government Pays No Heed To Senate Role In Mediating Political Crisis
22 October – Source: Garowe Online – 243 Words
The Federal Government of Somalia on Sunday rejected a call by the Federal Member States to seek third-party mediation in talks on the current political crisis. In a statement, the Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation said President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo’s doors for dialogue with leaders of regional states’ were still open. “The previous invitation by the President still stands and the central government is ready to listen to the grievances of the state leaders and resolve the same,” read the statement in part.
Somali Prime Minister, Hassan Ali Khaire, ruled out the idea of any third-party involvement in the talks to fix the ongoing political impasse, saying time for foreign parties to intervene in the country’s domestic affairs were over. The PM made the remarks after the regional leaders suspended ties with Villa Somalia last month and having set conditions of honouring President Farmaajo’s invitation for negotiations. The federal states demanded that a third party must be involved in the talks with the Federal Government of Somalia.
Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry called for timely, free and fair elections in the regional states, especially in Southwest and Puntland on November 17 this year and 8th January 2019, respectively. Leaders of five Somali states [Puntland, Galmudug, Southwest, HirShabelle, and Jubbaland] on 8th September resolved to suspend relations with the central government, citing lack of political and security progress in the Horn of Africa nation.
Key Headlines
- Government Pays No Heed To Senate Role In Mediating Political Crisis (Garowe Online)
- Hundreds Of Families Displaced Over Security Fears In Hiiraan Region Arrive In Jalalaqsi Town (Radio Ergo)
- Turkish Police Chief Arrives In Somali Capital (Shabelle Media)
- 17 Somalis Repatriated After Row At JKIA (Daily Nation)
- Maritime Agreements Spark Trouble In Horn Of Africa (Raconteur)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Hundreds Of Families Displaced Over Security Fears In Hiiraan Region Arrive In Jalalaqsi Town
22 October – Source: Radio Ergo – 400 Words
At least 1,000 families fleeing intensifying military operations against the militant group Al-Shabaab in Hiiraan region have arrived at Jalalaqsi town as a new humanitarian situation unfolds. The displaced families, who are farmers and herders, were forced to leave their homes following clashes between allied Somali and AMISOM forces and Al-Shabaab, as the former forces seek to wrest control of areas under Al-Shabaab command. Ibrahim Madoobe Nuur, the district commissioner of Jalalaqsi, confirmed to Radio Ergo the displacement of the families, noting families had to flee for their safety amid a deteriorating security situation in their homes.
According to Mr. Nuur, the displaced families were living in Burweyn, Biyo-Nef and Jimbiley localities. The official said 1,100 families have vacated their homes in these villages, which all come under Jalalaqsi district. “In the past 10 days, Somali forces and AMISOM troops have intensified their operations to expand areas under their control. 650 families were displaced in Burweyn locality while 450 others fled Biyo-Nef and Jimbiley villages,” Mr. Nuur said. The district commissioner said his administration did not have the capacity to provide emergency needs for the families but could only truck water from nearby water sources.
Ahmed Abiikar Hassan, a father of four children, moved with his family from Burweyn village, 38 km south of Jalalaqsi town, alongside hundreds of other families seeking safety. On 6 October, Mr. Hassan’s family arrived in Jalalaqsi town. Since then, they have been living with one of their relatives, who was even unable to provide food for his children. Hassan’s family is now forced to depend on the goodwill of his relatives. It cost him $10 to transport his family using a hired donkey cart to Jalalaqsi town.
As the planting season is approaching, Mr. Hassan, a farmer for the last 20 years, was preparing to cultivate his farm but the escalating tension in and around his village has put his plans on hold. With no other skill besides farming and a livelihood to maintain, Mr Hassan is worried about the fate of his family. “We were depending on what we harvested from our farms and we used to live a normal life,” Hassan told Radio Ergo. “When you are at your home, you can be able to manage your life. We never used to sleep on empty stomach but now that we have been uprooted from our homes we face many challenges.”
Turkish Police Chief Arrives In Somali Capital
21 October – Source: Shabelle Media Network – 103 Words
Turkish Special Police Unit Chief, Salami Türker has pledged his country’s cooperation with Somalia on security and intelligence report sharing. Mr. Türker, who arrived in Mogadishu on Saturday, held talks with officials from Somali police.
The delegation led by Türker met Somali Minister for Security, Mohamed Abukar Islow, where the two discussed on the relations between the security agencies of both countries. The two officials agreed to enhance the cooperation between Somalia and Turkey with regard to law enforcement. Mr. Türker also pledged that his country would increase training for Somali police officers. Several other officials from Somali police also attended the meeting.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
17 Somalis Repatriated After Row At JKIA
22 October – Source: Daily Nation – 335 Words
Kenya on Sunday repatriated 17 Somali nationals who caused disturbance at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport when they were denied clearance to travel to Uganda. The passengers, according to Immigration PS Gordon Kihalangwa, landed from Mogadishu but they could not be cleared because of security concerns and anomalies with their documents.
Kenya Revenue Authority, the police, National Intelligence Service, Port Health Service and other agencies have been strict on security as Kenya prepares to launch direct flights to the United States. The repatriation matter came to the fore when Thika MP Patrick Wainaina said “illegal immigrants” had been casually handled by government officials at the airport.
The MP who had jetted in from the United Arab Emirates around 6am said while queuing at passport control, he saw three young men arguing with an immigration officer. He added that they wanted the official to stamp their passports. Mr Wainaina said he sought to find out what was happening and was referred to the officer on duty. He was told that the three, “who were roaming freely at the airport”, were to be deported.
The lawmaker told the Nation that he discovered the immigrants were not three but 17. He took photos of the three men. Mr Wainaina said when he demanded to be shown the plane to be used by the group, he was given a passengers manifest but the 17 were not included. “It is not possible that they could have moved from terminal 1A to T2 within 10 minutes and boarded the plane. Deportees are usually confined and do not have room to persuade officers to allow them into the country,” the MP said, adding that he raised the matter with the National Assembly Security Committee. However, committee chairman Paul Koinange told the Nation that Mr Wainaina’s account of the events contradicted one given by the JKIA management. Mr Kihalangwa said the 17 were to be repatriated, not deported. He added that the airline that brought the group was indemnified to return them to Mogadishu.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“As geopolitical interest in the Horn increases, observers fear these regional Gulf rivalries could end up spilling over. This was the case after the Gulf crisis of June 2017, when Saudi Arabia and its allies severed diplomatic ties with Qatar, which they accuse of supporting Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood and a form of political Islam which threatens the stability of their regimes.”
Maritime Agreements Spark Trouble In Horn Of Africa
22 October – Source: Raconteur – 1226 Words
For decades it has been one of the world’s most fragile regions, plagued by armed conflict, poverty and periodic droughts. But in the 1990s, the Horn of Africa, comprising the states of Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Djibouti, became the focus of a somewhat surprising investor: DP World, a global port operator that is majority owned by the government of Dubai, part of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We are seeing a race between regional and global players to take advantage of big opportunities located in the region
From its headquarters in Dubai’s sprawling port of Jebel Ali, the maritime company and its Emirati owners saw in the Horn of Africa what many others didn’t: an area of vast economic potential and geostrategic importance. In 2006, DP World won a contract to build the Doraleh container terminal in Djibouti, now the small nation’s biggest employer and source of revenue. Years later, in 2016, it signed a $442-million agreement with Somalia’s secessionist region of Somaliland, to manage and invest in the deep-sea port of Berbera. Both decisions proved prescient.
Today, the UAE is among a number of Gulf and Middle-Eastern countries scrambling for control of ports across the Horn of Africa, in a race that analysts say could benefit, but also potentially destabilise, the already fragile east-African region. In recent years, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have become active in ports and military bases in Djibouti, Eritrea and Somalia, while Qatar and Turkey, who align with Saudi Arabia’s regional rival Iran, are building in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, and the Red Sea port of Suakin, off the coast of Sudan. “We are seeing a race between regional and global players to take advantage of big opportunities located in the region,” says Camille Lons, programme co-ordinator at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
One reason for this scramble is commercial. The Horn of Africa is strategically located next to one of the world’s busiest sea lanes, with access to both the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. Every day around five million barrels of crude and petroleum products flow through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a neck of water bordered by Eritrea and Djibouti. “It is one of most trafficked shipping lanes in the world,” says Olivier Milland, a political risk analyst at Allan & Associates.
https://www.raconteur.net/
TOP TWEETS
@abshirolow: Speaking during today’s opening of the fourth C.I.C conference in Garowe, #Jubaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam stressed that Jubaland State Presidential election will be held on its scheduled time next year. There will be no extension to the current presidential term. #Somalia
@Eye_on_Somalia: #Goobjoog Somalia’s Minister for Security addresses about the clashes at Wadajir district of Mogadishuhttps://ift.tt/2D00kuP #Somalia
@UKinSomalia: With support from the #UK‘s Conflict Stability & Security Fund #UKCSSF, participants from the #Somali Ministry of Defence, National Army assisted by office of the president, AMISOM, BPST (A) & UK Mission concluded a gender & human rights workshop to protect civilians in #Somalia
@adancabdulle: A plane carrying vehicles for@TheVillaSomalia backed candidate left Mogadishu for Baidoa in Southwest State today. Elections are expected there soon. In the run-up to the elections, @TheVillaSomalia is injecting untold money to back its candidate https://www.jowhar.com/
@shiddane: Here is my blog on my last trip to Rwanda. A week of both exposure & experience concludes with great lessons learnt. Looking forward to your feedback. Link:https://bit.ly/2S4UNHk
@Goobjoognews: State leaders mull own army as charges against Mogadishu hold http://goobjoog.com/english/
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Regional leaders at the Council of Cooperation (CIC) meeting in Garowe city.
Photo: @DalsanFM